Antifouling muffler for flush-pipes



E. G. HEDGES.

ANTIFOULING MUFFLER FOR FLUSH PIPES.

APPLICATION H LED FEB. 14. I920.

1,337,003. PatentedAug. 9,1921.

Lvi

j G mma cause.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWARD e. nnneizs, or NEWARK, NEW JERSE f ANTmQUL IN Gi MUFFLER non FLUSH-PIPES. ,i

To all ioh'om it na l concern.

Be it-kno wn that I, EnwaiinG. HEDGES, a citizen of the United States, residing at 271 Belleville avenue, Newark, county of Essex, and State of N ewJ ersey, lia'veinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Anti fouling 'Mufller's forFlush-Pipes, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawing, forminga part of the same.

The present invention relates to themuf- He! used by plumbers forinsertion in flushpipes to prevent the noise naturally caused by the fl'owof water therein.

The invention is particularly adapted for such inui'llers as are operated with Water of high pressure which generates a current-of high velocity and necessarily produces a great vibration andnoise in thepipeg'f I The present IIIVGIltlOII is therefore "espe- "ci'ally'usef'ul' in' cases where a flush-pipe is operatedwithout a flush-tank, being con- 'nected directly to thehigh pressure service pipe. v C' The invention utilizes the propertyofgranular material to diffuse vibrations and thus prevent noise which such vibrations would n a mass of such material be merely interposed in a current of water it operates to arrest and accumulate any matter suspended in. the water-current;and ultimately becomes,

clogged by the accumulation'of such matter, so as to materially retard. the water-current with the flushing operation of the water. f

' The object of the present invention is to utilize such granular material to diffuse and correct the vibrationsiandat the same time avoid the clogging of'suc'h granularinaterial by any deposit of the suspended matter.

The device may thus be used in connection withxfilters as well plumbers flush.

valves f I M This object is attainedb 7 providing a tubular casing with a cham er in' which the granular' naterial can be nserted in the path of the watencurrent, andsupp'ort ng such material upon a p'e'rforated p Iunger'res'ting upon a'jyielding spring seas to move downward when "the water-current is passing (1 through the muffler, and rise again to its initial position whenthe current is shut off,

Such a movable supportifor the granular material operates to agitate and displacejits particles after each actuation of the muifier,

, "Specification of Letters Patent. Patntd Aug, 9, 1921; Application filed Febr't ary 14, 1920. seriai 1%. 358,740.

Such dislodginent ofthe matter permits the Water-current to carry it out of the inuffler at, each actuation, and thus maintain the efficiency ofthe g'ranular'mater'ial as a muffiing agent.

The nature andoperation of th'e'invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing, in which Figure 1 is'a side elevation of a inufiler provided with the improvement ;,Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the muflier with thefeed andvent-plugs upon the right hand side of the chamber; the View in Fig. 2 being taken from the rear side of Fig. 1 showing the feed and vent-plugs at tlielefthand side of the chamber; Fig. 3 is a transverse section across the enlarged chamber; and F ig., 4 is a section like the middle portion of F 2 with the plunger support forced downward by the Water-current. a r

' a designates the inlet-end of the tube which forms the casing A ofthe Inuflier and is connected to the flush-valve, and 'b is the outlet end of the tube connected to the flushpipe ,7). The enlarged chamber a is formed adjacent to the inlet a, and affords increased spacefor the. granular material, and thus displaces and shifts its particles as it spreads out in the chamber a V n A perforated support for the: granular 'm'ateriald is formed by a plunger 6 fitted The plunger is' shown in Figsi '2 and 3 with numerous perforations k adapted to permit the passage ot the w atlerrcument while supporting the granular material d in. the bottom of the chamber;

The" granular material is shown in the form of shot at al inFig's. 2 and 4', resting 'uponfthe top "of the perforated plunger 6, and when the Water current is admitted to the; iniiifier it isflimpelled directly against Y the shot and its velocity presses the plunger downward in opposition to the, Spring f,

thus entirely removing the support below the shot and causing the same to be displaced in following the" plunger downward. 1 At theiendiof each actuation of the muf- 'fler the cessation of the water-current permits the spring to push the plunger up into the chamber, as shown in Fig. 2, thus causing the shot to roll off of the top of the plunger which displaces all of the particles so as to rub them against one another, and break p and dislodge any matter which has been deposited thereon by the water.

A feed-plug a and a vent-plug j are screwed removably into the upper and lower sides of the chamber to introduce the charge of shot thereto, or to withdraw the shot therefrom, so as to proportion the volume of shot to the velocity of the water in any particular instance.

A sufficient charge of the shot serves to wholly diffuse the vibrations caused by the passage of the water-current, and if this maximum charge is exceeded it causes an unnecessary retardation of the water-current through the mufiier and thus impairs its efficiency as a flushing agent.

The use of the plugs 2' and j enables an operator to insert and withdraw the granular material while the muffler is connected in a working position in a flush-pipe, and thus to proportion the quantity of granular material to the exact requirement of the water-current. 7

It is obvious that the essential feature of the invention is the provision of means for agitating and displacing the granular material by the normal operation of the muffler in which the current is intermittently operated, which causes a yielding support like the plunger (Z to be depressed by the water-current and restored to its initial position when the water-current is cut off.

It is therefore immaterial what means be employed to displace the particles of granular material, provided they are so supported after each displacement as to lie in the path of the water-current and thus arrest its vibration.

It is obvious that the only function of the perforated movable support in the chamber is to push the charge of granular material in the chamber above the level of its bottom, and any form of such perforated support may therefore be employed which performs this function.

It will be observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 4 that the plunger support normally projects into the bottom of the chamber and thus holds, the granular material therein; but when the'current of water flows through the chamber it encounters a resistance from the plunger and presses the plunger support downwardly into the bore of the casing,y1eaving above its upper end a cavity into which the granular material rolls, thus rubbing the particles against one another and cleansing them as desired,

During the flushing movement of the water-current the granular material is contained chiefly in the 'bore of the casing and the water is compelled to pass through the interstices between such material, and it is this subdivision of the current and the movement of the particles of material upon one another that prevents the vibrations which would be caused by a rapidly moving unobstructed current of water.

The shot at shown herein for the mufiling material is only an example of any kind of granular material that may be convenient to use, as gravel, coarse sand, glass balls, or any other suitable substance which forms interstices through which the current of water can pass without material obstruction, and which can be displaced automatically (to cleanse the particles) by the intermittent passage of the water-current through the mufiier.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is:

1. An anti-fouling device having a casing and a perforated support movable in the casing with mufiiing material carried upon such support, and means to sustain the support yieldingly and to restore it to its initial position after yielding.

:2. An anti-fouling mufiier having a casing with inlet and outlet at opposite ends and an enlarged chamber near its inlet, a perforated yielding support movable in the easing below the chamber, and granular muffler material in the chamber resting upon such support.

3. An anti-fouling device having a casing with an enlarged chamber, a perforated support movable in the casing below the chamber, granular muflier material in the chamber resting upon the said support, and means to sustain the support yieldingly, said means operating to displace the material at each actuation of the muffler and to then restore it to its initial position after such yielding movement.

4. An anti-fouling device having a casing with an enlarged chamber, a perforated support movable in the casing below the cham ber, granular muffler material in the chamber resting upon the said support, and a spring pressing the support normally into the chamber.

5. An anti-fouling muffler consisting of a tubular casing with enlarged chamber, a seat for a spiral spring in the casing below such chamber, a perforated plunger movable in the casing belowthe chamber, a spring between the seat and the plunger and holding the plunger normally in the chamber, a

charge of granular material in the chamber supported upon the plunger, and water connections at the ends of the casing, whereby the watencurrent flows first into the chamber and thence through the granular material and the plunger support and compresses Elbe spring in its passage through the mat 6. An anti-fouling muffler having a casing respectively into the upper and lower sides with inlet and outlet at opposite ends and of the chamber to introduce and withdraw an enlarged chamber near its inlet, a perthe granular material therefrom. 10 forated yielding support movable in the cas- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5 5 ing below the chamber, granular muffler mamy hand.

terial in the chamber resting upon such support, and feed-plug andvent-plug screwed EDWVARD G. HEDGES. 

